In the beverage industry, it is customary to distribute beverages in glass or plastic bottles that have been capped with closures.
These closure are typically screw-type closures made of a variety of materials, most commonly metal or plastic. A typical closure has a more or less flat surface at its top that spans the bottle's mouth. This flat surface forms a roof over a cylindrical that is aligned to be coaxial with the bottle's axis.
The closure also typically has security elements for enabling a consumer to detect product tampering. These security elements can be configured as one piece with the closure element, with a ring or engagement teeth. They can also toe implemented as a separate head label, a sleeve, or some other arrangement, and as an additional equipment element interacting with the closure element.
After bottles have been filled and closed, it is prudent to inspect the bottles to make sure that they have been correctly closed. Inspected features range from, the most basic, such as the presence of a closure in the first place, to more subtle features, such as the closure positions, the presence and quality of securing elements, the presence and alignment of decorative elements, and the presence of any damage, such as cracks.
During the inspection of a closure, and in particular of a screw closure made of plastic, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, it is useful to inspect the entire mouth region and a vertical segment of the container neck, as well as the whole of the closure material. The data from this inspection serves to screen for defective containers or container closures, and, as appropriate, to optimize the closing process.
As used herein, “closure system” means the complete desired end arrangement of all the elements required to correctly close the bottle. These would include the actual cover, as the closure element, the decorative elements, the security element, and contact surfaces at the container neck, adjacent to and, as appropriate, in functional interaction with the closure element, such as a neck ring.
It is also desirable to carry out the inspection without any spatial movement but to nevertheless inspect 360° around the bottle. To promote high performance capacities and transport speeds, it is desirable to maintain a continuous inspection process.